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Thursday, November 4, 2010

A pleasant, middle-aged woman from Magnolia was the center of attention at “An Intimate Evening with Charlaine Harris” and most of the audience was thrilled to be in her midst.

Harris, 58, was the speaker in the culminating event of If All Arkansas Read the Same Book in the R.J. Wills Lecture Hall at Pulaski Technical College’s Campus Center on Friday night.

The hall was near capacity, and Crystal Long, coordinator for Arkansas Center for the Book, said all tickets had been distributed.

The author’s first series of books featured Georgia librarian Aurora Teagarden and the Shakespeare series, set in rural Arkansas, featured Lily Bard. But it was the Southern Vampire series, featuring Louisiana barmaid Stackhouse, that turned Harris into a literary star. The first three books were the basis of the first three seasons of Alan Ball’s “True Blood” series, which is a hit on cable TV network Home Box Office.

Chris Bauer is known for his role of Andy Bellefleur in HBO’s “True Blood” With the show entering its fourth season next year. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Chris to discuss his character and how he has changed over through the seasons. We also discussed his other film roles and what he is currently working on besides “True Blood”. Mike Gencarelli: Tell us what has been the best part of playing Andy Bellefleur in “True Blood”?Chris Bauer: The best part for me, so far, is that, like it or not, for better or worse, there’s something about this guy that I love. There’s an essential kind of insecurity mixed with strength and moral fortitude that I’m interested in…that I identify with. I think the guy’s funny. And in a lot of ways I think he’s the portal the audience see’s that world through. And that’s a fun role to have.MG: How do you feel that your character has grown season by season?CB: I think he’s gotten more dynamic. He’s gotten more human. He has gone from, essentially, a plot function into a contradictory, complicated character. And that humanity is what I like to bring to a role. To me that’s the difference between a character and an idea. In the first season he was out to break Jason Stackhouse’s balls. (laughs) And that was fun. In the second season we found out a little more of his biographical background. He went on this bender. And his obsession to get things right turned out to be true. And he paid the price for it in the third season. But I would love to see him expand more. I would love to see that whole human dimension take up more space. But in the mean time I think they are continuing to write an interesting and compelling character that I’m very happy to play. This is the sixth TV show that I’ve been a regular on and I’ve never been the kind of actor who gets right up the writer’s ass to find out what they’re going to do with the character. I look forward to the surprise…week to week…to see what happens next. I trust the writers that I work with. I’ve been very lucky in my career to work with very talented and inspired writers. And it’s a thrill to see how the character evolves, symbiotically, through your relationship with the writers and their experience with your work.

NEW YORK —"True Blood” star Ryan Kwanten, pictured, says he's the "go to guy” when a production calls for working with panthers, even though he has a healthy fear of them.

Real panthers were used in the HBO series, and Kwanten said recently that he was supposed to work with a panther in his new Australian Western, "Red Hill,” until he learned the feline turned on its owner in a deadly attack.
Instead, Kwanten acted while writer/director Patrick Hughes pretended to be the feline off camera. Kwanten joked that it was his "finest bit of acting to keep a straight face and try to stay in it while my director was licking his paws and carrying on.” Another panther was filmed for scenes added in later.
Kwanten, who plays Jason Stackhouse in "True Blood,” said the hairs on his back stand up when panthers are on the set, but the animals are always chained.
"You're definitely on your toes” when working with the big cats, he said.
The Associated Press

According to Kristin Dos Santos, the CW’s new pilot Secret Circle, based on the book series authored by The Vampire Diaries scribe L.J. Smith, is expected to help fill the Life Unexpected void midseason. There are also some rumors of other pilots in development for the network.

“The Secret Circle” is a series of books about witches. A 16 year old girl named Cassie moves, with her mother, to New Salem, Massachusetts. Her new highschool is ruled by a group of girls known as ‘The Club’. The girls in The Club are witches, descended from the original Salem witches, and Cassie is a witch herself.

Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, are writers and producers who were also involved with creating The Vampire Diaries show (and were involved with Buffy, Angel and Dollhouse). They’re now spearheading the adaptation, while screenwriter Andrew Miller is writing the pilot episode.

Can a book really become a decent television show? Yes, and here's the proof! Here are 12 shining examples of science fiction and fantasy books that actually got turned into television series that are worth watching in their own right.

The other day, we listed the worst TV adaptations of SF books, now here are the best. If The Walking Dead and A Game Of Thrones turn out to be awesome, they'll join the select club that already has these dozen members:

True Blood.

And then there's the other vampire TV show based on a book series. Alan Ball and company haven't been afraid to make Charlaine Harris' best-selling Sookie Stackhouse series their own, taking huge liberties with the source material, but they've also paid tribute to the characters and concepts that made the books great in their own right. Few TV shows have become day-after watercooler material to the extent that True Blood has, and they've made characters like Lafayette (who survives on the TV series despite dying in the books) their own.